What changes for visitors and residents on Tenerife?

The campaign for the Spanish election has run since 00:00 on 13 November and ends on 27 November. The jornada de reflexión (day of electoral silence) follows on 28 November, and voting takes place on Sunday 29 November.

The sources checked named no restrictions to daily life on Tenerife. They give no details on closed polling stations, alcohol bans or cancelled flights.

Abascal spoke in Almería, not on Tenerife. The research could not confirm an appearance on the island in this campaign.

According to the research so far, only Spanish citizens may vote on 29 November, though no source backs this up. Anyone in doubt should ask the Junta Electoral (electoral board).

What did Abascal say in Almería?

Abascal spoke at the Plaza de la Constitución in Almería, his first public event in Andalusia in this campaign. Vox had no bigger enemy than the polls, he said, and called for a “gigantic mobilisation”.

He named confidence, indifference and the belief that Sánchez no longer stands a chance as the enemies. The prime minister, he said, is ready to do anything to stay in power.

This was not an election like any other, Abascal said, but “now or never”. Despite favourable forecasts, nobody should sit back.

He put the early election down to the personal interest of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez because of ongoing judicial investigations. He pointed to the alleged illegal financing of the PSOE and to police and judicial operations at the Equality Ministry and the Court of Auditors; the report carries no response from the government.

What does Vox promise, and what does it mean for immigrants?

Abascal presented a programme of “national urgency” with three priorities. They are prioridad nacional (national priority), economic deregulation and remigración (remigration, meaning the return of migrants).

Spaniards would get priority for welfare benefits, rent subsidies and nursery places. The report did not say whether or how this would affect EU citizens living in Spain.

By remigración Abascal means that people who claim benefits without working must leave, as must offenders and those who entered illegally. At the same time, young Spaniards who emigrated for lack of opportunities should return.

First among the national priorities he named taking Ceuta back. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo rejects this as unlawful, and Abascal replied that Vox wants to make legal what is considered illegal today.

On deregulation, Vox wants to scrap rules he called ideological, such as those from Agenda 2030. He set Vox apart from the PP and urged people to vote directly for Vox.

What do the polls say, and what happened in 2023?

An average of polls from 7 November puts the PP on 31%, the PSOE on 26.2% and Vox on 19.5%. The research could not see the underlying polls or the comparison with the previous month.

In September, 40dB had Vox on 18.4%, the PP on 31.6% and the PSOE on 27.4%. In July the pollster CIS measured a record 18.9% for Vox.

In the July 2023 election Vox won 12.39% nationwide and 33 seats. An older remark by Abascal, date unknown, was that polls are only polls and nobody should forget what happened in 2023.

In the Canaries Vox won one seat in Las Palmas in 2023. It did not stand in Santa Cruz de Tenerife then, citing internal disagreements, according to RTVC.

What is at stake on Tenerife and in the Canaries?

The Canaries elect 15 members of parliament, 8 in Las Palmas and 7 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The BOE (Spain’s official state gazette) published the candidacies on 28 October: 14 in Las Palmas and 13 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

In 2023 the PP and PSOE won 3 seats each in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Coalición Canaria won 1. In Las Palmas the PSOE and PP took 3 each, and Vox and Sumar 1 each.

For the Senate, Gran Canaria and Tenerife get 3 senators each and the other five islands 1 each, 11 in total. Vox is not standing there, because of an arrangement with the PP according to RTVC; the terms are not confirmed.

The research found no Canary-specific polls for 29 November. A Diario de Avisos report about a Vox candidate from León on the PP’s Tenerife list remains unchecked.

Which dates apply until the vote, and how does postal voting work?

According to the election calendar, postal vote applications close on 19 November, and ballots must be handed in by 25 November. Those affected should check these dates with the BOE or the Junta Electoral.

The campaign ends on 27 November, 28 November is the day of electoral silence and voting is on 29 November. The new Cortes meet on 23 December at 10:00.

The election to the Canarian parliament is a separate vote and does not take place on 29 November. Sánchez dissolved the parliament in Madrid after losing a vote, and the decree took effect on the day of publication, 6 October.